Fanmeeting
by jasassmine
Summary: A gorgeous redhead-blonde couple attend the famous chef Hayama Akira's fanmeeting. What will happen? A sweeter take on an aesthetically beautiful combo. AU. SoumaxErina. Story in-progress! Please note I have no ownership over these characters - they belong to the SNS franchise. RECENTLY UPDATED - Chapter 4!
1. Meeting

So, here's a bit of background.

Recently, a young chef in his twenties, named Hayama Akira, shot to fame, despite the overall lack of interest in the culinary industry from the public. Starting from a modest childhood, the man had built up his culinary skills, through hard training and endless effort. He started up a small restaurant business that was immediately hit with great reception, and it had only grown from there - currently, his restaurants have become an international phenomenon, and there are around 4,000 of these fine-dining restaurants located in 100 separate countries. His success story blew up the Internet; and though Hayama's skills were definitely one of the factors to such widespread attention, Hayama was also notoriously famous for one other thing...

He was extremely good-looking.

To be more vulgar, he was _goddamn hot._

And this isn't just my opinion. This man has thousand-member fanclubs that always show up at his public appearances. He also has millions of followers (usually teenage girls) online that spam photos of him in every angle possible, with thirsty captions that preach and comment on how incredibly _hot_ he looks. I personally couldn't agree more.

And it made perfect sense - what girl wouldn't fall for, or at least, fangirled over a skilled, beautifully tanned young man with toned abs, with melty emerald eyes that stared right through your soul? Hayama Akira was the man of every girl's dreams. Unbelievably so, despite all of this, I believe there should be one exception to this rule - a girl with an equally gorgeous man as a boyfriend. Which leads me to the start of my story.

* * *

It was the day of Hayama Akira's fanmeet, an event anticipated by many. Girls, especially.

Despite the fanmeet area being a literal sea of people, there was one young man who stood out amid the crowd. There were two reasons - first, the fact that he wasn't a girl; after all, Hayama's fanmeets seemed to usually piss men off, because, quote on quote: "He steals away all my potential girlfriends!". The second reason, was that this young man, if you would permit me to say - was absolute eye candy.

He was dressed in skinny jeans and a loose button-up with a few buttons undone, revealing toned stomach abs that had no doubt caused a guilty someone to stop and stare. With one endlessly long leg propped upon a lamppost, he stood with his eyes downcast, his slender fingers scrolling through his phone. Rays of sunlight shone down against his cheek, emphasising the long curl of his lashes - the same colour as his hair, a beautiful shade of bright auburn, laid in disheveled bangs across his forehead.

He looked up briefly from his phone, only to shade his eyes from the sun; and for those close enough to him, they'd notice that his eyes were the most endearing shade of amber-gold. It was a breathtakingly exotic feature - even the iconic Hayama Akira, known for his exotic looks, didn't have it. On the subject of comparisons, if Hayama Akira's look was a clean-cut, pristine and high-class type of handsome, this man was the complete opposite. He was messily gorgeous, rough in some places but smooth everywhere else, toned and slender. Long story short, he was effortlessly stunning - and obviously, the girls around him couldn't take their eyes off him.

There seemed to be an invisible 10m diameter circular area around him and the lamppost that no one seemed to enter - perhaps it was the pheromones the young man was emanating, creating an aura of unapproachability. Sneaky shutter sounds of phone cameras from a distance seemed to fill the air every few minutes, and the female owners of such phones quickly ran away after snapping the picture, thinking they were being extremely discreet even though in reality, they were obscenely obvious. Whispers of "Wow, isn't he a model?" or "God help me, he must be a celebrity with those looks!" resounded among the crowd. Every once in a while, there would be a courageous one who would approach the man for a photo, or try to ask him for some time to 'hang out' - only to be politely declined.

"Sorry, I don't really have time for that. My girlfriend's coming in a second, you see." The man's voice was deep and husky, befitting of his unkempt (yet still attractive) appearance.

"Ah, I see." Girls would blush in response, and leave quickly. _Crap, the guy has a girlfriend? She must be gorgeous. I'll stick around to see what she looks like._ This was a unified thought among the girls who approached him; and though many of these girls may be shallow and unperceptive, they weren't wrong about this thought.

A few seconds later, a panting blonde came running through the crowd, with five shopping bags on one hand and a copy of Hayama Akira's cookbook in the other.

"Excuse me, could I please get through?"

"Sorry, I just need to get over there. Could you make some space?"

To be honest, on the first glance, she looked like a typical Hayama Akira fan, who just happened to stop by and take _her_ appreciative look of this newfound piece of eye candy. But as she continued to wade through the crowd with purpose, the girls started to notice something different about her - and under the scrutiny of the fifty girls waiting for the man's girlfriend to show up, the blonde effortlessly broke through the untouched-10-metre-diameter-area surrounding the young man, and shoved her bags into his arms.

Baffled by the sudden action, the man finally looked up, and smiled upon doing so. "Ah, Erina! What took you so long?"

"What do you mean, Souma? I had to get the brand new fifth edition of the magazine Akira-sama is featured in! And yes, before you ask, I do have his cookbook too, but that's not enough! You don't understand the dedication it takes to being a true fan. And I'm a true fan. Just look at him! Who wouldn't be a fan!" Erina flushed, and gestured wildly at the front cover of a magazine, plastered with Hayama's picture. "He's sooo melty and dreamy, look how hot he is! Look!"

Peering at the magazine, Souma scratched the back of his head, completely disinterested. "Huh. I don't see it," he mumbled, his fingers moving to try and smooth down and fix his girlfriend's hair, messy from running through the crowd - but to no avail.

"Erina, did you bring a hair tie? Your hair's a mess, and I can't fix it." Souma sounded somewhat concerned for a split second, but a glint quickly flashed in his gold eyes. With a dangerously seductive half-smirk on his face, he moved closer to her, the distance between them immediately intimate.

"You know I like it when you wear a ponytail..." whispered Souma directly into her ear, causing the girl to blush fervently.

"Shut up!" Erina's snappy yet embarrassed remark only induced a peal of laughter from her boyfriend, lighting up his entire face. His teeth gleamed white under the sunlight, and his large eyes reduced to amused and perfectly shaped crescent moons. If he was just 'pretty' earlier, his look now would probably be equivalent to Aphrodite's beauty.

"Well anyway, no, I don't have a hair tie, so that can't be helped. Also, you have no taste!" Erina, calmed down from her previous embarrassment, now began to lecture Souma angrily. "You don't understand true beauty. Akira-sama is so gorgeous... _you_ should hope to look half, no, even 10% as good as him! Now come on, we need to line up for his signing session!" Dragging Souma by the arm, Erina walked steadily forward towards a labelled stall, towards the fansigning area.

During this whole exchange, there were only two words that seemed to overall, describe the mood of the crowd of around fifty girls who were watching the scene. This emotion ran loud and clear throughout everyone who was remotely capable of 'sensing the atmosphere'. This emotion was, acutely described in two words, "absolute shock" - and there were about three reasons for this.

One; Erina, the blonde girlfriend, was jaw-droppingly stunning. The girls knew that Souma's girlfriend wouldn't be a normal girl; but to see this level of beauty? No one would have expected it. Erina was dressed in a demure white lace sundress, with a floppy white hat on her head. Though the dress was simple, it was Erina's body which made it look so exquisite and enticing; the dress hugged all the curves of the girl perfectly, accentuating her voluptuous figure and her skinny waist. Her limbs were slim and long; and her skin was milk-white, a splendid complement to her blonde hair, the exact colour of spun gold. Her eyes were the most fascinating shade of violet... it was almost as if she had amethyst crystals in her eyes instead of a normal pigmented iris. After all, her eyes sparkled so prettily under the hood of her gold lashes; one look would have left a man flushed and nervous. It was probably a good thing that there were less men around for Hayama's fan meeting. Erina looked like a princess - she would have probably swept any man off their feet, just by looking at them.

Two; Erina and Souma, both individually dazzlingly beautiful individuals, _put together_ , became an absolute visual explosion. They looked like a painting crafted by an art genius, unrivaled even by the famous Mona Lisa – they captured the essence of the perfect loving relationship flawlessly, and you could snap photos of them at any time and they'd look like professional models. It was bewitching how good they looked together... the small 'audience', exposed to such visual pleasure in such a short amount of time, could only be 'absolutely shocked'.

Three; and this only applied to the few people who were actually listening to the two's exchange - the others were busy being utterly wow-ed at the couple's appearances. Well, the whole subject of Erina's conversation to her boyfriend was Hayama Akira, and how hot he was. _It's perfectly fine to fangirl over Hayama Akira's appearance. It's true that Hayama Akira is gorgeous in his own right. After all, his looks are world-class. Also, if you were fangirling about Hayama's superior raw **skill**_ _over your boyfriend, I'd probably accept and understand the thought, because it's likely to be true. But how, just how, are you even mentioning Hayama's LOOKS in front of your boyfriend's god-like appearance?_ _If I had a boyfriend that looked like yours, I'd never look at another man. Do you notice that your own boyfriend has looks that rival Hayama Akira's, or even perhaps surpass him in attractiveness? What? Look 10% as good as Hayama? BiiiTChHhHH. People would kill to look 10% as good as YOUR boyfriend! Are you serious?_

And this was the outline of the thoughts of the girls who were listening in; and thus, out of incredulity, they were "absolutely shocked".

Our main couple, however, remained completely oblivious to the awe, shock and incredulity they left in their wake, as well as all the attention they seemed to be receiving. Erina was now dragging Souma by the ear, and with Souma skidding along, they were reaching closer and closer to the fan-sign destination.

* * *

And that wraps it up!

Hmm, you must be curious to see what'll happen there! If you're not interested, well, I'm sorry. HAHAHA

You shall see in the next chapter, updated sometime soon (hopefully)!

In the meantime, if you wanna check out my other one-shot on Soueri, you can click on my profile :)

Please review and comment, hope you liked the first chapter!


	2. Queueing Up in the Heat

"Souma, fan me."

"What?"

It was devilishly hot, and Erina and Souma had been standing in a _very_ long line for what seemed like hours for Erina, but 30 minutes in actuality. With the girls in front of and behind the couple constantly peering and nosing in on all of the couple's movements and conversations, it only made the heat worse - and it seemed that Erina's silent glares and 'please-freaking-back-off' thoughts weren't communicating at all to the people around her. To be fair, who could blame them? Anyone would be curious of a model-worthy couple standing in the middle of a queue for a fanmeet, even if the person in question was the famed Hayama Akira. Heck, why are the two even here? If _they_ hosted a fanmeet, they'd probably get a couple thousand people visiting them, _each._

Even so, sweat was beading on the hairs of Erina's neck, and she was getting increasingly more agitated. If there was one thing Erina hated in the world, it was heat, and the subsequent sweat that came with it. It pissed her off. And God forbid, when Erina was pissed off, the people around her would suffer the brunt of her frustration. And it just happened that she was with Souma today.

"Souma, fan me. It's. So. Bloody. Hot." She repeated, this time louder and in a more annoyed tone.

It was an objective fact it was a solid 28 degrees Celsius that day, and when present in a largely crowded environment, the obvious result is sticky, sweaty, and smelly people. Despite Erina feeling the heat burn the surface of her skin, the heat didn't appear to affect her boyfriend at all; the only sign of heat across Souma's body was the slight flush across his cheekbones, and the small squinting of his eyes, but that was more to block out the sun's light. Somehow, the heat made him look even more handsome and endearing.

Back to reality, the poor man could only stare at Erina in quiet disbelief. Souma had gotten used to his girlfriend's temper tantrums by now, but sometimes even he was surprised by some of her ludicrous requests. Fan her? With what, exactly?

"Look, Erina, I can't really do that. I don't have a fan, nor do I have anything to fan you with. And either way, it wouldn't really help. We're almost there anyway, so just hold out for a few minutes, alright?"

And though Souma had been more than nice in his tone, the second he finished his sentence, he felt daggers shoot out of his girlfriend's eyes, all trained upon him. In this world, there was very little that intimidated him more than that very stare; it was ice-cold, and it made him question exactly how, and why, he dated such a dangerous woman.

"Do I look like I can hold out? I don't ask for things for no reason. Find a way to cool me down." uttered Erina in a tone as sweet as nectar. It was the fatal kind of 'nectar'- the kind that Venus flytraps lay out as bait on their jaws, ready to chomp down immediately on any unsuspecting insect that falls for their trap. The girl was inches close from blowing her top, and anyone paying attention could see it.

At this point, Souma was starting to get a little worried - and though he was mostly a carefree person, his girlfriend's deadly gaze was always able to instill some sort of worry, and/or fear, into him. He _had_ been in situations such as this with Erina before; and every time it happened, he had barely weasled his way out of her direct line of wrath, and he still saw it as a miracle that he had avoided it up until now. The gears in his mind turning furiously, Souma scrambled to come up with a solution to deal with his girlfriend's near-outburst... there had to be something...anything...

Suddenly, Souma was hit with an idea. A beautiful, lopsided, and mischievous smirk creeped onto his face, the corners of his mouth stretching towards his ears. _Hm...this seems like it'll be fun._

"Erina, I'll really can't cool you down with the normal means, such as with a fan. I just simply don't have the utensils for it, and it won't be possible." Souma spoke matter-of-factly, but the glint in his amber eyes definitely hinted he was up to something. "It's another story however, if you want to get a little experimental..."

His left hand shot out towards Erina's face in a gentle caress, with all five slender fingers splayed across her cheek. The action was sudden, but it wasn't rough - his limbs seemed to move like water, smoothly, precisely, purposefully. The coolness of his hand spread across her skin, and Erina gasped in surprise - then sighed satisfactorily against it, a breath escaping from her lips, all the previous heat she felt forgotten completely.

Smiling, Souma trailed his right hand slowly up Erina's arm, sending cooling waves against her flushed skin, his other hand still on her cheek. It was true that he was cooling her down, but it wasn't just that - to Erina, it felt like a dozen little electric shocks were moving against her bare skin, and _god,_ she was deriving _so much pleasure_ from it. Guilty pleasure.

Up his hand trailed, from her fingertips slowly up to her forearms, then around her shoulders and up her neck; and at this point Erina collapsed against Souma's chest, her knees weak against her boyfriend's 'cooling system'. Her hands had instinctively reached for his shirt without her realising, her fingers clenching the cotton material. Instead of cooling down, she felt an internal fire slowly start to burn; for more contact, more touch, more skin-against-skin, more everything. She hated herself for being so sensitive towards him, but she was, and she couldn't help it. _If he didn't stop soon..._

Souma's roaming hands finally stopped, and he rested both hands on Erina's waist, clasping her in an embrace. A stupidly large smirk was plastered on his face, and his eyes were glittering with self-satisfaction. _I guess that little trick will keep her quiet for a while._ Souma chuckled to himself, and took a good look at the blonde in his arms.

With her eyes half-lidded, Erina slowly looked up towards him. Her delicate lips were in a pout, and her golden eyelashes curled upwards towards the sun. Gazing down from Souma's height, she looked like a work of art - her face was aglow, her long hair was mussed, and her cheeks were a slight shade of crimson, a natural blush that lay stunningly against her cheekbones. She was just so _pretty_ , it was absolutely breathtaking.

 _Shit. No one told me about this._ Souma's smile faltered, the playfulness in his eyes fading. Raw desire started to smoulder in his eyes, causing his eyelids to droop heavily. His hands tightened against her waist; that image of Erina was emblazoned in his mind, and he could only think of her as he drew closer and closer. He wanted her. The fact that she was already his girlfriend didn't stop how much he wanted her; heck, it just made the feeling stronger _._ He had never stopped wanting her, and he wanted more, he wanted everything, he wanted to ravage her lips and mess up her hair and touch her skin and sigh against her mouth and show her _how goddamn much he wanted her-_

A rather loud gasp of a bystander jerked Souma out of his thoughts, and into the present. The gasp came from a girl who had obviously been way too emotionally invested in the couple's little skin-ship session, and knowing that a kiss was coming, she had probably inadvertently let out a very loud gasp. As Souma met the eyes of the girl across Erina's shoulder, reality splashed like a bucket of ice-cold water over his head; they were in public, they were in the middle of thousands of people, and they were probably being ogled by about a solid 50 girls standing in line. The 'gasping girl' had turned away quickly in embarrassment, but there were still a good many people who were just staring at the two unabashedly. Though he was more of a shameless type, Souma did have a sense of propriety - and also, that gasp had just completely ruined the mood. _That was close. For now, I'll just continue on with the plan._

Stopping inches away from Erina's face, he changed course and whispered against her ear instead:

"You know... I'd love to continue...but it seems we have a little audience."

Erina snapped out of her trance, and immediately pushed away from Souma, untangling her fingers on his shirt. Her cheeks immediately flushed a deep scarlet as her eyes met all the embarrassed stares of the people around her, and she blinked rapidly in denial. _No! Why are you embarrassed? We did nothing inappropriate! No!_

Souma winked at her, and continued:

"They probably thought I was feeling you up... and that _you_ were enjoying every second of it."

"No! Wha -" Erina protested wildly, her face flushed an even deeper scarlet. What crude language! But oddly, the emotion that she felt rising in her chest was neither anger nor denial, but a more warm feeling, sort of like sunlight, but from within. It was hard to describe, but it occurred often when Souma was around... and it was one of the few wonders of dating she had recently discovered. She didn't know exactly, but Souma was probably way more experienced with love than she was - he was her first, and she still was puzzled by a lot of the new things she felt around him. It was a learning process, and she intended to figure it all out soon.

Either way, somehow that ridiculous method of Souma's _had_ truly cooled her down, as she could barely feel the heat of the weather anymore. Watching her boyfriend continue to laugh, with those white teeth flashing and that wonderful curved smile that she loved, she felt like she lost somehow - she had fell for another one of his tricks. She had succumbed to his teasings, once again.

Not that she didn't like it, though.

By now, they had made it towards the front of the line. Hayama Akira's signing panel was right in front of them, the staircase to the meeting station a few metres away. A security guard approached Souma, and they engaged in a quick conversation.

"Erina! It's your turn to meet Hayama Akira!" Souma called loudly, and Erina rushed over, pushing her thoughts aside.

After all, she was going to have to get ready to meet her idol.

* * *

R&R?

Next chapter probably won't be for a while, but I just wanted to put this out there for now. I'm personally quite proud of this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!


	3. Update!

A little update!

It's been months since my last update, and I'm truly so sorry about that. My love for Sorina has not died, so don't worry, I'm still here! The advancements in the manga has just got me on the edge of my seat - my inner Sorina fangirl fire is burning with full vigour, and hence my eagerness to write. However, life's getting a little busy, and I'm finding myself in a situation where I simply don't have the time to write.

I have worked on Chapter 3 for a while now, but I've just got so many scenarios playing in my head and descriptions and dialogue that the chapter's turning out to be way longer than I thought it would be. I ended up stopping after a brief sketching of ideas: though I think the chapter's going to end up being super long and super time consuming, I still want to push on forward through and write Chapter 3 exactly as I want it. Unfortunately, this is gonna take a little time - I hope you guys will be patient with me. I promise, it'll be worth the wait! (hopefully lool)

I'm not just gonna leave y'all hanging with nothing though. So here's a little snippet into Chapter 3. Enjoy!

* * *

Hayama Akira was not feeling the best. It was sticky, humid, and so _damn_ hot - to be hosting a fanmeet in this weather was an absolute nightmare. Don't get me wrong; Hayama loved meeting his fans, and was fully aware that they were the reason for his fame, his fortune, his everything. But to be sitting under a tent with no air conditioning, in 30 degree weather with no complaints? Even Superman couldn't do it, let alone a measly chef born from the slums. To add to the discomfort, Hayama had to constantly make sure that his hands were cool and not sweaty... he was not about to shake hands with a fangirl, and slobber her hand with dripping sweat. Some odd girls out there might've actually _preferred_ to have _The Hayama Akira_ 's sweat on their hands, but that's a discussion for another day, and Hayama was sure as hell not into that sort of fetish.

Sighing, Hayama picked up a water bottle, his fifth one, and downed it completely. Plastering his professional fanmeet smile on his face that seemed to guarantee the melting of all girls into a puddle, he started readying himself for the next girl. "Just a few more to go. I can stick this out," he thought, already preparing for the little interaction.

"Bring in the next fan, please." called Hayama, sipping his water again. His manager next to him signaled towards the security guard, and the next fans in line were allowed in. Hayama's fanmeet podium was on top of small staircase of a few steps - and as the next 'fan' came up towards him, Hayama was so unprepared for the sight he saw, that he spat out his drink and started coughing profusely.

It was like a scene out of a movie. From Hayama's line of vision, the fan's figure was slowly starting to emerge from the top of the steps, so he saw the top of her head first, and then the whole length of her body. It was like everything was in slow motion - or rather, it was the girl who slowed time down, for everyone around her.

Because, she was so _damn_ beautiful.

Silky smooth hair trailed down to her waist, the stunning shade of the golden sun on a particularly pleasant day. Her white one-piece dress decorated her figure beautifully; and though Hayama tried not to stare, the girl's, _ahem_ , bosom, was quite wonderfully pronounced. And finally, her most striking feature: those astonishingly amethyst eyes were a dream, so much so that Hayama was seriously questioning if they were colour contacts. Yet they were so undiluted, so clear, so real; and Hayama's doubts were completely cleared, as if blown by the wind.

He'd seen a good many beautiful girls in his life. Heck, he'd been in and out of hotel rooms with the Miss Universes of the past few years. But this girl? She was something else. And despite him having a good amount of confidence in his own looks, Hayama's palms started to sweat, a sign of nervousness. _God, he felt like a schoolboy._

As the girl approached, Hayama's heart started to thump faster. It wasn't love at first sight or anything - he was not as shallow as that. However, he could not deny the attraction: the instinct was almost animalistic, a simply uncontrollable _male_ desire. Finally, the girl sat down in front of his table, and the most gorgeous smile lit up on her face, taking Hayama back by surprise. Before he had time to gather himself and start his 'fanmeet routine', she spoke first.

"Mr Hayama Akira, I'm so glad I can finally meet you!" The girl talked in an animated, bubbly voice. "I truly am your biggest fan, and you don't understand how much you mean to me. You're really such an inspiration!"

At this point, Hayama had gathered himself well enough to reply. Trying to ignore the goddess-like glowing aura the girl was seemingly emitting, Hayama smiled widely, flashing his teeth. "Thank you. You know, it's people like you who are responsible for all my success. I personally really haven't done anything. Tell me, dear, what's your name again?"

"It's Erina."


	4. The Meet Itself

Hi all! I'm back from my short hiatus (kind of)? Enjoy this chapter for now!

* * *

Hayama Akira was not feeling the best. It was sticky, humid, and so _damn_ hot - to be hosting a fanmeet in this weather was an absolute nightmare. Don't get me wrong; Hayama loved meeting his fans, and was fully aware that they were the reason for his fame, his fortune, his everything. But to be sitting under a tent with no air conditioning, in 30 degree weather with no complaints? Even Superman couldn't do it, let alone a measly chef born from the slums. To add to the discomfort, Hayama had to constantly make sure that his hands were cool and not sweaty... he was not about to shake hands with a fangirl, and slobber her hand with dripping sweat. Some odd girls out there might've actually _preferred_ to have _The Hayama Akira_ 's sweat on their hands, but that's a discussion for another day, and Hayama was sure as hell not into that sort of fetish.

Sighing, Hayama picked up a water bottle, his fifth one, and downed it completely. Plastering his professional fanmeet smile on his face that seemed to guarantee the melting of all girls into a puddle, he started readying himself for the next girl. "Just a few more to go. I can stick this out," he thought, already preparing for the little interaction.

"Bring in the next fan, please." called Hayama, sipping his water again. His manager next to him signaled towards the security guard, and the next fans in line were allowed in. Hayama's fanmeet podium was on top of small staircase of a few steps - and as the next 'fan' came up towards him, Hayama was so unprepared for the sight he saw, that he spat out his drink and started coughing profusely.

It was like a scene out of a movie. From Hayama's line of vision, the fan's figure was slowly starting to emerge from the top of the steps, so he saw the top of her head first, and then the whole length of her body. It was like everything was in slow motion - or rather, it was the girl who slowed time down, for everyone around her.

Because, she was so _damn_ beautiful.

Silky smooth hair trailed down to her waist, the stunning shade of the golden sun on a particularly pleasant day. Her white one-piece dress decorated her figure beautifully; and though Hayama tried not to stare, the girl's, _ahem_ , bosom, was quite wonderfully pronounced. And finally, her most striking feature: those astonishingly amethyst eyes were a dream, so much so that Hayama was seriously questioning if they were colour contacts. Yet they were so undiluted, so clear, so real; and Hayama's doubts were completely cleared, as if blown by the wind.

He'd seen a good many beautiful girls in his life. Heck, he'd been in and out of hotel rooms with the Miss Universes of the past few years. But this girl? She was something else. And despite him having a good amount of confidence in his own looks, Hayama's palms started to sweat, a sign of nervousness. _God, he felt like a schoolboy._

As the girl approached, Hayama's heart started to thump faster. It wasn't love at first sight or anything - he was not as shallow as that. However, he could not deny the attraction: the instinct was almost animalistic, a simply uncontrollable _male_ desire. Finally, the girl sat down in front of his table, and the most gorgeous smile lit up on her face, taking Hayama back by surprise. Before he had time to gather himself and start his 'fanmeet routine', she spoke first.

"Mr Hayama Akira, I'm so glad I can finally meet you!" The girl talked in an animated, bubbly voice. "I truly am your biggest fan, and you don't understand how much you mean to me. You're really such an inspiration!"

At this point, Hayama had gathered himself well enough to reply. Trying to ignore the goddess-like glowing aura the girl was seemingly emitting, Hayama smiled widely, flashing his teeth. "Thank you. You know, it's people like you who are responsible for all my success. I personally really haven't done anything. Tell me, dear, what's your name again?"

"It's Erina." The girl smiled even wider, if that was possible. She was starting to show the typical traits of nervousness Hayama had seen other girls express: the tucking of hair behind the ears, the fiddling with fingers. _I guess she really is a fan of me..._ Hayama thought to himself. _If she's nice enough, I wonder if she's interested in being more than a fan...Shit. Pull yourself together._

Almost if on cue, another figure started approaching from below the staircase. Looking past Erina, Hayama saw a man dogged with Hayama-Akira limited edition paper bags, slowly making his way up the steps. Noticing that Hayama's gaze had shifted, Erina turned around, and immediately started gesturing wildly to the man.

"Hurry up, Souma! I've only got 10 minutes with Mr Hayama, and I really want him to sign everything in those bags!"

Panting, the man dragged the heavy-looking bags into the chair next to Erina, and plopped down immediately with exhaustion. While Erina nodded satisfactorily and started laying out magazines and cookbooks for Hayama to sign, Hayama got a good glimpse of the poor man who had to climb those stairs with such a heavy load. For the second time today, he was completely unprepared for the sight in front of him.

With touseled bright auburn hair, the man looked like a prized piece of art. Not that this happened often, but Hayama found himself immediately comparing himself to this man... wait, what the heck were those eyes? How were those gold-amber eyes possible? Hayama felt like he was being struck dumb. Needing a few seconds to process the situation, Hayama was thankful that Erina was busying herself, sorting through her merchandise piles. _Shit, what's with today? Two world-class model-worthy beings, one after another? Isn't that a one in a million chance? Are you sure these people aren't celebrities? Should I contact a model agency?_ There were so many questions, but Hayama decided to push them aside. This was work, after all.

Pulling himself together for the final time, Hayama continued on with the interaction. "Well Erina, I'm so thankful that you bought so much of my merchandise! Your support truly means a lot to me. The poor man over there... dragging those books must have been heavy. I feel for him!"

Erina beamed brightly towards Hayama, and she cast her eyes down towards the ground, where the man was now sitting on and panting heavily still. "Oh, don't worry about my friend over here. He can tough it out on his own."

 _Oh, shit. She's pretty cold. To be honest, I kind of like it though..._ His thoughts trailing dangerously, Hayama fought to keep his bright smile. "I'm sure you don't mean that... hey man, would you like some water?" Hayama held out a bottle of water towards the man, and the man smiled gratefully back at him, before taking massive swigs from the bottle. Though he tried not to show it, Hayama flinched a little: did this man have any idea what he could do with that smile?

"Shoo, shoo! This is my private time with _the_ Hayama Akira, I don't want you intruding in it. Go wait on the other side of the podium. I'll see you when I'm done." Erina spoke hushedly to Souma. Shrugging, Souma stood up from the floor and strode off the podium, and soon his figure was nowhere to be seen.

Hayama watched as he went, before continuing the conversation. "So, how did you first find out about me? I find it quite interesting you guys seem to discover me... after all, chefs aren't really the sort that are always in the spotlight." Hayama asked a standard and simple question, yet for the first time, he was very eager to know the answer.

"Well, I first stumbled across you when I was flipping through a food magazine, because Souma over there" - Erina gestured briefly into the distance the man went - "was becoming exceedingly interested in the cooking world. And when I saw your coming-of-age story, I just thought it was the most touching and impressive story that I've ever read. It resonated with me - and that's when I got slightly obsessed." Her eyes shone as she spoke, the violet hues of her eyes glittering brightly. There was a slight pink flush against her cheeks; either from the heat or from embarrassment. Hayama liked to think it was the latter.

"My success really isn't much though. Only because I had the right people beside me, like how my teachers were supportive, my friends were supportive. And ultimately, it's the fans that mean everything to me... fans like you." Hayama stared straight into Erina's eyes, meaning every word he said. Perhaps, he meant a little something else - either way, Erina broke the gaze as she eyed around, completely flustered. Hayama felt a small victory in the corner of his heart. _She reacts to me! That's a start._

Laughing loudly to clear the air, Hayama smiled brightly and changed the subject. "Well, I probably shouldn't say such things. Your boyfriend over there might get the wrong idea."

At the mention of her 'boyfriend', Erina's face relaxed, then grew mischievous. It was fascinating watching all these micro-expressions play out on her face; but then again, everything was fascinating about this woman. As she opened her mouth to speak, Hayama continued to stare at her. Shamelessly so. And he wasn't prepared for what came next.

"You're the only boyfriend that I have, Mr Hayama. I've never obsessed over anyone else like you." Erina spoke slowly, staring straight back at Hayama. A pause ensued, with the two just staring at each other, with Hayama feeling his heartbeat loudly thumping in his ears. However, she quickly broke the gaze and hid her face behind her hands, her ears flushing a deep crimson. "Oh gosh. That was so cringey. I'm kidding. Please take it as a grain of salt. Oh my god I'm so sorry I was just joking around I don't know what I'm doing-"

"No, no, it's okay." For the first time in a very long time, Hayama felt flustered. His knees were going weak at the joints, and if he weren't sitting down, he would have probably collapsed. The earnestness in her eyes, accompanied with her golden eyelashes turned up towards him was a sight that was burned into his mind. And those lips, that moved so effortlessly when she spoke; those beautiful, sweet, sweet lips...

"Hayama, your ten minutes is up. You have a break after this, but its protocol that every person gets the same amount of time. " The security guard's booming voice struck him out of his fantasies. He blinked profusely, and scrambled to get himself together.

"Erina, it was nice meeting you. I wish I could stay longer with you, but time is really pressing." Emphasising every single word, Hayama truly meant it - he truly wished he could see her again. Erina's face fell a little, and with it, something broke in Hayama's heart. _Think, Hayama, think! Is there a way?_

A sudden idea struck him like lightning, and Hayama quickly relayed it to Erina. "You know, there is another exclusive fan meeting where I host a dinner party, free of charge, at my restaurant in New York, for only 5 lucky fans that I handpick personally. I do it based on their dedication and support for me." Erina's eyes were wide open with shock, already seeing where this was heading. Hayama shot her a gleaming smile, and continued. "I'd love it if you would attend, Erina."

Erina let out a squeal of happiness, along with a smile that lit up her entire face. "Of course I will!"

Then she was jumping around, constantly whispering "Is this real? Holy crap holy crap holy crap" under her breath. Looking at the girl, Hayama's heart warmed: to see such happiness on Erina's face made him feel so _good_ inside. And also, when she was happy and smiling, she became the most stunning creature ever to exist. _God, she is so gorgeous._

"I'm sorry miss, but you have to leave now." Security ushered her off the podium, but Hayama never stopped waving towards her. As her figure disappeared into the distance, Hayama slumped into his chair. His heart was racing, and he was sweating in places he'd never sweat before. He'd never felt so overwhelmed in such a short span of time.

And Hayama Akira, the prince of the culinary world, had only one thought running across his mind.

 _What the heck just happened?_

* * *

Wrapping up here! Hasn't the drama escalated...hmmmm. Regardless, stay tuned for Souma in the next chapter! (its still an erina/souma story after all) The next update will take a while again (sorry, exams!) but have a reread of the story while you're waiting. I'm loving the romance development in the manga btw. Plot's a little slow tho, but still enough to keep me interested HAHA :) anyway pls rate and review :))


	5. His Rage, Her Guilt

Hi guys, I haven't been back for a while. My school life has been a bit of a mess and I haven't got around to writing... I wrote the first half of this chapter like 4 months ago but I really wanted to finish it for you guys for a more holistic version of the story. I understand Chap 3 had been controversial but I want you guys to stick with me and understand Erina's character development that I had planned :) Those of you who stuck around, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and remember to R&R! I know I can't please everyone but my story's out there, so I hope some of you can enjoy it. Thank you guys, I'll see you in a bitttt ~~

* * *

Souma watched as Erina came down from the podium, a light flush upon her cheeks and eyes glittering with excitement. He smiled at her, perfect teeth and all - but he couldn't deny that he felt a slight twinge in his heart. After all, why was another man causing her to look... well... _like that?_

Regardless, he was soon stopped in his thoughts when Erina came charging towards him, dropping her merchandise bags along the way, only to pounce onto him and envelop him in a tight embrace. His heart stopped a little in his chest; Erina wasn't the type to show affection first. When he looked down towards her sparkling amethyst eyes, she had such a look of excitement on her face that even he felt her excitement coursing through his veins.

"Souma! I'm one of the 5 VIP Guests to have a special dinner at Hayama's New York restaurant! Can you believe my luck?"

She had the most disconcerting habit of wearing her emotions on her face, and the pure, unadulterated joy on her face was unmistakeable. As Souma saw this, it made him happy - but something else as well. Sure, it made him happy. But why did he feel so uneasy? _No. Stop being selfish. She's free to be happy about something she's wanted for so long._

Plastering a smile on his face, he rested his lips against her honey-coloured hair. "That's amazing. I'm glad you got the place."

"Hmm." Erina replied contentedly against his chest. This was just Souma's guess from dating the girl for a year, but Erina definitely seemed to like head kisses. The thought made him chuckle a bit, and he couldn't help but want to tease her again.

"Wow. The Erina Nakiri, displaying her affection so openly. Is the sun going to rise from the west tomorrow?" Souma affectionately joked, wanting to see the familiar bloom of the roses on her cheeks.

"Oh, shut up." As expected, Erina flushed deeply and pulled away, leaving his arms to collect the merchandise bags she dropped in her haste to deliver the news. Souma watched as Erina checked all the items carefully, and in a single instant, a look of shock crossed withsheepishness flashed across her face. Souma had seen that look many times, and he saw what was coming instantly.

"Souma... I think I left my phone on Hayama's table..." With a pleading look in her eyes that seemed to make her doe-shaped eyes even rounder, Erina continued. "Could you get it for me while I go to the washroom? I'm desperate to go."

Honestly, the last thing Souma wanted to do was to go back to the blasted place. It was hot and sticky, and he was desperate for an iced coffee from his favourite café around the block. _It's just this one last task_ , he told himself as he nodded towards Erina, who took off like a shot towards the women's restroom. Also, the retrieval would be over in a second.

Yes, it would be over quickly. No drama created, no communication required, and the whole event would be over.

With this mindset in mind, Souma climbed back up the stairs toward the podium hurriedly. Scanning the area for Hayama's silhouette, his eyes immediately locked onto a silver haired individual resting in a lounge chair, holding an electric fan towards his face. _Ah! That must be Mr. Hayama!_ Striding over to take a closer look, Souma got a good look at what exactly Hayama was doing. He wasn't just blowing wind into his face. _No, it wasn't just that... the guy's opening his mouth too... no way, is he really doing that trick kids do when they want their voices to vibrate? The Hayama Akira, the renowned chef who attained 3 coveted Michelin Stars for his restaurants?_

A chuckle must've escaped Souma unconsciously, because Hayama started in his chair, turning the fan off out of pure instinct. As Hayama slowly noticed Souma's figure staring at him, a barely-noticeable blush crept across his tan cheekbones, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Sir, I'm afraid it's my break time right now. Unless you have any important business-"

"Oh, not really important business. But you see, I'm with that girl Erina - the blonde girl earlier - and she left her phone here. Do you mind if I search around?" Amber eyes darting everywhere as he spoke, Souma tried to multitask both his conversation with the man and finding Erina's phone. "By the way, have you -"

"No, but I'll help you look for it." In almost a split second, Hayama had sprung up from his lounging position like a spring, as if his whole body had reacted to a trigger word. Souma frowned. _He's kind of weird. I have no idea why Erina's obsessed with him._

"Well, it's not your job to look for lost property. You can continue chilling - sorry for disturbing your resting session." Souma spoke courteously, but it was clear that he didn't want extra help.

"No, I insist. I'll help you look for it."

"You really don't need to."

"It's my responsibility to look after my fans. I'll look for her phone."

"Uh... it's actually okay. Look, I'm perfectly fine -"

"Wait... is this it?" Hayama produced a sleek, rose gold phone from one of the cubicles of a massive glass storage shelf, a shelf displaying all Hayama's merchandise products. Souma recognised the phone instantaneously - he had bought it for Erina on her recent birthday, and she had sworn to guard it with her life. _Well, look how well that promise turned out,_ he thought to himself. _Also, I've been meaning to ignore this, but this dude gives some serious, weird vibes. Does he want something from me?_

Souma outstretched his hand, and Hayama placed the phone into his hands. Pressing the home button, Souma peered at the wallpaper as final confirmation - a picture of himself and Erina under a great, autumn-reddened maple tree stared back at him, and Souma smiled with satisfaction. This was Erina's phone, alright. Erina once said that photo was one of her favourite pictures of him: she said it was fascinating how his hair colour seemed to match the maple leaves perfectly, and how the sunlight shone through his auburn lashes, allowing a natural highlight to rest across his cheekbones. Sometimes, the way she described him seemed surreal and unbelievable to himself - what was he when compared to her? From his perspective, Erina was the life of the whole picture. Her violet irises. Her puckered pink lips. Her delicate features and her sweet, delectable curves all in the right places. Her untainted, uncorrupted beauty, inside and out.

"You guys close?"

Souma jerked out of his reverie, then noticed that Hayama had been peering over his shoulder the entire time, his green eyes as large as those googly-eyed candies you found on Halloween. He gestured to the wallpaper, a pointed look on his face that seemed to demand an explanation. _I'm sorry, but this guy's mannerisms are weird. Am I just being paranoid?_ Souma kept his answer brief and simple, in an effort to leave the sweltering podium as soon as possible. He wasn't the type to sweat at all during hot weather, but even he was feeling the heat after staying in the same area for over 3 hours.

"Uh, yeah. We're close. Anyway, thanks for this. I've gotta head back -"

"Wow. How close?"

 _What is with this guy?_ Souma fought the desperate urge to roll his eyes. _Why am I suddenly being interrogated?_

"Close enough. Look, I'll have to leave no-"

"So you're her friend?"

"Well, yes, but we're kind of more than that -"

"Oh, so best friends? Well, final question for you, Mr. Best-Friend-of-Erina. Man-to-man. Just between us." This time, Hayama drew closer to Souma, looking around somewhat nervously. In a hushed tone, he continued. "Do you know if that girl has a boyfriend? I mean... she was pretty flirty with me just now... she's probably interested..."

For a long moment, Souma's mind completely blanked. His senses were completely numbed. Then, his mind started slowly processing what he heard.

 _Wait a minute..._

"Do you think I have a chance? She even said I was her 'boyfriend'. She must be absolutely smitten with me."

 _This little f*cker..._

"I mean, I really want her. She's seems gorgeous and intelligent, a perfect home run. I mean, she's got a killer figure too. Of course... for every man... you gotta notice her rack -"

 _That's it._

Souma saw red.

With a deathly sort of calm, he took a large stride forward towards Hayama, walking straight towards him with intent strong enough to kill. Perhaps the animalistic instincts in Hayama took over, and alerted him of the danger approaching - because he shut up immediately, and slowly hid behind the massive glass shelf.

 _Sorry, man. That's not going to work._

His left hand moving in one deft motion, Souma yanked the shelf towards the ground, unfazed by the cacophony of glass shattering against hard concrete. Looking back on it, Souma was surprised at what he did himself - he hadn't really done anything like that in his life before. But his rage needed to go somewhere, and if he wasn't going to physically attack somebody, any inanimate object in his vision was going to pay the price instead. Nonetheless, Hayama stared at the shattered glass around Souma's feet, open-mouthed and dumbfounded. A flash of fear was present in his emerald eyes, despite his attempt to hide it as Souma got closer and closer to him.

 _Shit. Is he going to hit me?_

Souma stopped in front of Hayama, his face inches away from the bridge of Hayama's nose. Despite the tense situation, Hayama found himself analysing the other man's face, noticing his long, rust-red lashes and the slight freckles dotted along his cheekbones. The man was terribly handsome, but Hayama hadn't the time to be pondering this: while observing Souma's face, Hayama had seen the wordless, furious expression on it.

Sheer rage blazed in the other man's golden eyes, focused upon Hayama so intensely that he felt like a dozen tiny razor blades were cutting into his skin. His lips were drawn tight, the rosiness tint of them gone, almost as if they were ready to break like a stretched elastic band. If Souma was a tame creature before, the Souma now was a feral beast about to be let out on a rampage. Hayama fought the weakening in his knees. Something about the ferocity in the man's expression rendered Hayama speechless, and undoubtedly, absolutely terrified.

"Look, buddy. I don't usually do this. In fact, I've never had to do this in my life." Souma spoke in an unnervingly calm tone. Hayama felt chills down his spine- swallowing uncomfortably, he waited for Souma to continue.

"I don't know what bullshit you've been told, but that woman just now is my girlfriend." The words were delivered with cold venom, quietly but all the more menacingly, and Hayama felt the weight of his words settle onto his shoulders. _Holy shit..._

 _"_ I literally wouldn't give two craps about what you say about me. But if you try to objectify my girlfriend, talk about scoring a 'home run', go take that f*ckery somewhere else. That woman is my whole world. I don't think you will ever understand, but she _saved_ me. And I am not letting you taint any part of it." Souma stared right into Hayama's eyes, delivering his lines with threatening intent - though his voice was low, it didn't make Hayama any less intimidated.

Fighting the urge not to scream, Hayama tried his best to hold the man's gaze. Just as he was about to falter, security rushed in from the back of the tent, speaking loudly over each other in an effort to grasp the situation. The silent tension seemed to dissipate between the two men, and Hayama let a secret sigh of relief. "What happened here?" one security guard asked, eyeing the destroyed glass shelf on the floor.

As Hayama opened his mouth to respond, Souma spoke instead. "Nothing. Just a little accident, that's all." It was almost as if his rage was completely gone - the man's duality was rather disturbing. But, as Souma patted his shoulder before he went down the podium and back into the crowd, Hayama felt the subliminal message Souma sent throughout his whole body: " _Back off. Don't mess with my girlfriend."_

Leaving Hayama with Erina's phone in his hand, Souma strode off the podium in large steps. He felt the blood singing in his veins, and his forehead began to sweat. He hadn't been this mad in a long time.

 _Oh, Erina._ He thought. _You've got some explaining to do._

* * *

Meanwhile, Erina hummed as she came out of the washroom. She was now relieved - to put it in a less vulgar manner - and feeling quite pleased with herself. She peered around the area outside the washroom, looking around for a tall redhead clasping a phone in his hand. After squinting through the glare of the sun, she finally recognised her boyfriend's tall figure, and she frantically gestured him over.

As he approached her, the widespread smile on Erina's face slowly started to dissipate. After all, there seemed to be a stormy expression on Souma's face, and a dark aura emanating from his body - it seemed as if he had brought thunder and the clouds with him, and the complete contrast to his normally sunny and laid-back attitude sent a chill down Erina's spine. _What on earth had happened?_

'Are you alright?' Erina asked the man, concerned.

'Here's your phone.' Souma replied curtly, the storm still brewing in his eyes. His focused stare at her made Erina uncomfortable.

'Thanks.' Erina slowly lowered her eyes from him, and checked the condition of the phone.

'Look, Erina, can we -'

The phone started ringing. It was Megumi - her best friend from college, who was also a die-hard fan of Hayama. Erina looked at Souma and his frigid expression, then looked back at her phone. She contemplated rejecting Megumi's call, but before she could do so, Souma let out a heaving sigh.

'Go on, answer it then.'

Erina nodded apologetically, and walked off towards an isolated shaded tree to leave Souma to his thoughts and to answer the call. Unconsciously, she had begun to break into a cold sweat - the slight blonde wisps of her hair near her sideburns began sticking uncomfortably to her face. Perhaps it was Souma's peculiarly stormy and dark mood. He was never like that to her before, and frankly, she was slightly afraid.

'Oh hello Megumi! Can you make it quick, you caught me at a weird time.'

'Erina!' The voice on the other end of the phone was bubbly and cheerful, despite being soft and high-pitched. 'I've been waiting forever. Look I'm sorry, but I had to know how the fan meet went! I'm so upset that I didn't get to go myself...'

The originally somewhat tense Erina calmed down immediately at the sound of her best friend's voice, and in a split second she didn't hesitate to go fangirl mode. 'Yes! Oh my gosh, Hayama was literally the most gorgeous being ever... oh my gosh, I even pulled that trick that you told me to! I bet you didn't think I would do it!'

'What trick?' Her friend asked, confused.

'That trick where you told me would get his attention! You said I should call him my 'boyfriend' and that he'd probably definitely pay attention to me as a fan that way. You said he blushes at that kind of stuff, and that all girls do that. Remember?'

'What? When did I ever?' Megumi's voice was now slightly startled; she had not expected Erina to go and do something bold like that. And also, she had been _joking_! _Poor Erina, the gullible little girl! And sure, every fangirl plays that joke, but Erina's not a normal girl! She's a woman who could just flash a smile and have people on their knees, begging at her feet. Just imagine the detrimental misunderstanding that could have caused!_ Megumi felt slightly faint in her train of thought, and somewhat guilty as well.

'You did, Megumi! Don't back out on me now. And yes, I think Hayama did blush! I think he was shy to have a conversation with a fan in that sense. I'm glad I managed to make an impression on him though - ahh, I'm so happy! Oh, did I mention that he invited me to a dinner party? Free of charge? He said it was a fan event too!'

'Wait, hold up. Something is rubbing me the wrong way about this. Are you sure that there's no misunderstanding here? Was Souma there during your fanmeeting session?' Megumi's voice on the other side of the phone was taking on a serious tone.

'No, Souma let me have one on one time with him. And what do you mean, misunderstanding?' Erina replied, completely oblivious.

'Holy shit...' Erina jerked. It had been a long while since she had heard her friend swear.

'Now let me get this straight Erina... you called Hayama your 'boyfriend' as a joke and swooned over him at the same time, while he blushed and reciprocated? All while Souma wasn't present?'

'Well, yes, but the 'boyfriend' thing was quick and it was a joke, and isn't it something everyone does -'

'Look, Erina. Especially when you look like the way you do, guys pay extra attention - even the famous Hayama Akira. All his model girlfriends he's had before? Pssh, I swear, you're prettier than all of them combined. He probably thinks so too.'

'Wha -' Erina flushed, embarrassed. Why was Megumi suddenly going on about her looks?

'When you say stuff like that, it can be very misleading. Don't you think he thought you were hitting on him? Especially because you swoon about him, call yourself a fan, literally compliment him on everything he does... and finally, to add the cherry on top, call him your 'boyfriend'? And don't forget, you smiled so much at him too - and I know from experience that your smile is _extra_ alluring.'

Hearing all this, Erina's face had slowly started to go as pale as a sheet.

'Bu...but... that wasn't my intention -'

'To confirm my suspicions, he invited you to a 'fan dinner party'. What dinner party? This is absolutely unprecendented! I've been a fan of his for years and I know that every single event that Hayama hosts for his fans are planned meticulously and posted months ahead on his website. So there are one of two conclusions: one, this entire 'dinner party' is a sham and he's getting you on a date with him, or two, he created the 'dinner party' fan meeting right on the spot when he met you, as an excuse to see you again. Don't you see his actions _reeking_ of ulterior motives?'

At this point, Erina's heart had dropped. She blinked rapidly, trying to recall the fanmeet moment. It did seem like he held her hand for an awfully long time... and he did smile, ever so much. And it was true what Megumi said about fanmeetings-

'Erina, are you listening? Are you sure you're not being awfully misunderstood? What about Souma? Does he know?'

The final three words hit Erina like blows to her stomach, draining the blood from her face. She had not meant to do anything, but everything had happened anyway, in the succession that it did. A horrible weight settled onto her shoulders, and she felt guilt pressing into her sides. _Dumbass, Erina. You're a dumbass. Who told you to take Megumi's joke seriously?_

It was true Hayama was a big part in Erina's life. He was a role model she could look up to, someone to gossip and fangirl with Megumi about. But to consider Hayama as anything else felt like blasphemy to her - he was incomparable to what, or who, she had right now. She could not forgive herself for giving the title of being her 'boyfriend' so casually off to Hayama, just through the slip of the tongue. It was only now that she realised the weight of her words.

She knew she had struggled with opening up to people before, let alone allowing herself to love anyone. It had taken her an immense amount of time for her to comfortably label Souma as her 'boyfriend'. But he was worth all the pain, all the stumbling through relationships and the discovery of that 'special something'. He was her light in the darkness, the calm sea to her fiery passion, the very oxygen that allowed her to breathe when she felt like she was being plunged deep underwater, with everyone else drowning her with their judgemental gazes. Even from way back then, when she knew nothing about love, she at least knew that if she reached deep into her and tried to pull out every ounce of what she would give to Souma, it wouldn't work, because she'd end up giving him her entirety. She _belonged_ to him, and it was in his arms that she felt the safest. That was what being a 'boyfriend' meant to Erina. You had to be Souma - you had to have the sun in your smile, just like him.

Yet she had given that title away.

Just like that, without a second thought.

Carelessly, to some stranger she only knew through magazines.

Tears pricked at Erina's eyes as she came to realise what Souma's stormy expression might have been about. She was never good at articulating anything related to her emotions, but it was time to speak up.

"Megumi, I'm hanging up. I've got something to say to Souma.'

She ended the call, wiped the dewdrop tears forming at the edge of her blonde eyelashes, and strode from under the tree back in the direction of Souma. Her heart ached as she watched his brooding figure standing in the distance, his arms crossed and his feet tapping at the ground, impatiently.

'I swear I'll confess everything.' She muttered underneath her breath, and walked towards him, every step leaden with her new purpose.


End file.
